Who we support

We are experienced at providing the right specialist for each individual. The people we support have a wide range of needs including learning disabilities, mental health needs, autism and Asperger’s and these complex needs require a specialist and tailored approach.

People with learning disabilities

We understand that each person’s learning disability is unique to them and therefore requires an individual approach. From the point of referral, through to placement, and beyond, our focus is on ensuring each person is respected as an individual and is placed at the centre of our therapeutic approach.

We support people with a wide range of complex needs which could include: support with communication; support to develop personal care skills; support to develop social groups or friendship. Challenging behaviour can be a part of learning disabilities and we help people to manage behaviour that may have an impact on themselves and others.

Our skilled staff teams work under the direction of an experienced Registered Manager and together they work with our therapy teams to identify the range of an individual’s learning difficulties and therefore their support needs. Our teams design care plans and risk management plans to make a positive difference to each person’s life – as each person is different, all support plans are different. We also ensure that each person is aware of their support plans to the maximum of their ability, as well as sharing as appropriate this information with families, friends, advocates and other relevant professionals within each person’s life.

Our aim is for everyone to thrive and have opportunities to develop their skills, have fun and ultimately live richer, happier lives.

People with mental health needs

We support people with complex mental health requirements who also often have some form of learning or development need. One of the challenges in supporting people with a mental health need is maintaining stability in their health and avoiding fluctuating circumstances.

We are quick to identify cyclical patterns of behaviour throughout the year triggered by significant dates, events or seasons, and knowledge of an individual’s behavioural triggers on a day to day basis. Structured but flexible plans are required with good daily planning based on presenting needs and a staff team skilled enough to tailor the correct approaches based on the circumstances presented.

We believe working in this way produces very positive outcomes for people across our services. Another key component of our success is our expert therapeutic team that supports each person and their care and intervention plans. Our Positive Behaviour Specialist, in partnership with our Speech and Language and our Occupational Therapy Teams, ensure our highly qualified and professional approach is maintained in all circumstances.

We specialise in supporting people to build solid mental health foundations from which they can sustain steady improvement in their circumstances and move to living more independent lives.

People with autism and Asperger‘s

We recognise that people with Autism or Asperger’s require a focused service with a specialist knowledge due to their specific needs. We place huge consideration on important elements like the nature and layout of any environment, noise levels and general sensory stimulus, as well as peer group, communication method, and the structure and pattern of each day.

Through our detailed referral and assessment process we consider very carefully how we address an individual’s needs within these elements. In keeping with our ethos, each placement offer is completely tailored to the individual. Our staff teams, managers and therapy teams are specialists in supporting people with Autism and Asperger’s and continuous training ensures the best care. In all cases we work with relatives, advocates, health and social care professionals to ensure our placement offer and the nature of the support is tailored and appropriate to each person’s needs.

People with complex behaviours

We are a specialist provider of therapeutic care to people with complex needs, which often manifest themselves through behaviours that are challenging. Although these behaviours can be challenging to the individual, their peers, their family or their supporting staff, we recognise that every behaviour is a form of communication and an expression of an individual’s need or personality.

We work in a very pro-active and detailed manner to understand the reasons driving an individual’s behaviours. By doing so we can appreciate each person’s needs and then work on methods to support them to use positive alternatives to enable a positive outcome.

It is important to also support people to discover and use methods to help cope when times are challenging for them. These coping strategies begin by helping the individual and staff identify the early signs associated with behaviours that are complex and challenging, then intervening with a supportive strategy. We work on ‘Positive Behaviour Plans’ using an ‘Applied Behaviour Analyses’ approach to design all interventions. All our staff under-take an on-going training program, ensuring their skills are developed as required.

People with complex health care needs

Within our services we support people who have a range of complex health needs. These are identified through referral and assessment where we consider carefully how we can meet the person’s specific needs.

In some cases where we think a service is appropriate for a person but we need staff to undergo additional training, this will be facilitated prior to a person moving in. All people living in our supported living homes are registered with a GP and have access to community health services. We support each person to access these services as required. Our therapy team are also very skilled and offer support where required for specific health conditions. Our services are adapted where appropriate to meet each person’s needs.